Employment Equity in the Public Service of Canada for Fiscal Year 2017 to 2018

Public service population and designated group representation

The number of employees in the core public administration steadily increased over the last four consecutive fiscal years, reaching a total of 192,467 as at March 31, 2018, which is a 3.8% increase from the 2016 to 2017 fiscal year.

Likewise, the number of women, Aboriginal peoples and members of visible minorities increased year after year, although at different rates. As shown in Figure 1:

• the number of members of visible minorities increased the most
• there was a decrease in the number of persons with disabilities

Figure 1 - Text version

Number of total employees and number of employees in each employment equity designated group in the core public administration from the 2014 to 2015 fiscal year to the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year

	2014 to 2015 fiscal year	2015 to 2016 fiscal year	2016 to 2017 fiscal year	2017 to 2018 fiscal year
Total employee population	180,681	181,674	185,484	192,467
Women	98,051	98,846	101,136	105,465
Aboriginal peoples	9,232	9,358	9,726	9,876
Persons with disabilities	10,204	10,092	10,259	10,181
Members of visible minorities	24,849	26,336	28,058	30,273

Overall, the core public administration is representative of the population it serves. It has:

• met and surpassed the current estimated workforce availability benchmark for each of the four employment equity designated groups^{Footnote 6}
• implemented educational and awareness programs and supporting initiatives, and contributed to achieving diversity across departments in the core public administration

Overall representation levels achieved

The core public administration comprises 66 departments. From March 31, 2017, to March 31, 2018, those departments that exceeded workforce availability, compared with the previous fiscal year:

• decreased from 50 departments to 46 for women, and from 54 to 50 for persons with disabilities
• increased from 54 departments to 57 for Aboriginal peoples, and from 34 to 54 for members of visible minorities

As shown in Table 1, the representation rate for each of the four employment equity designated groups continued to be above their current estimated workforce availabilities in the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year. Over a four-year period:

• the representation rate for women and members of visible minorities steadily increased
• the representation rate for Aboriginal peoples decreased in the last fiscal year
• the representation rate for persons with disabilities decreased in the past two years

Also, the representation rate at the executive level for Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities decreased in the last fiscal year (see Table 2).

The importance of government’s efforts to continually incorporate employment equity considerations in its resources planning cannot be underestimated.

Revised workforce availability estimates based on the 2016 Census will become available in 2019. Developing a robust human resources plan that effectively takes into account projections for employment equity group workforce availability is a prudent approach to ensure that the public service remains reflective of the populations it serves.

Appendix A of this report provides a detailed breakdown of numerical trends and rates of representation for each of the four employment equity designated groups.

Representation at the executive level

As shown in Table 2, in the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year, internal representation at the executive level was above workforce availability for women, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities. A gap in representation at the executive level persists for Aboriginal peoples.

Table 2 shows that:

• women are the only designated group in the core public administration to experience a consistent increase in representation at the executive level
• the representation rate at the executive level for the other three employment equity groups decreased in the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year, following gains in the previous fiscal year

The value of providing training, career development and advancement programs to support employment equity designated groups to reach their full potential, including within the executive category, cannot be underestimated.

Representation by occupational group

In the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year, the representation rate of women slightly increased, compared with the previous fiscal year, in the following occupational groups:

• Scientific and Professional: from 52.5% to 53.1%
• Technical: from 26.6% to 27.0%
• Operational: from 29.2% to 29.3%

Table 3 compares the internal representation of women with the estimated workforce availability for each occupational group at the aggregate level across the core public administration. It also compares the percentage of women and men by occupational group.

In Budget 2018, the Government of Canada committed funding to encourage women to develop the technical and semi-professional skills needed to pursue careers in fields in which they are currently under-represented.

Employment and Social Development Canada is developing a program for women in construction, and Status of Women Canada is piloting a project to analyze the challenges that visible minorities and newcomer women face in finding employment in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) occupations across Canada.

In addition to Table 3, Table A3 in Appendix A provides information on representation by occupational group.

Region of work

In the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year, the employee population in the regions increased compared with the previous fiscal year:

• the representation of women and members of visible minorities across the regions increased
• the representation of Aboriginal peoples and persons with disabilities decreased
• there is a representation gap for Aboriginal peoples in the Northwest Territories and in Nunavut

Saskatchewan was the exception, as its employee population remained stable.

Table A2 in Appendix A provides a detailed breakdown by location and employment equity group for the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year.

Distribution by annual salary ranges

Although 17.9% of the overall employee population annually earns $100,000 and over, a lower percentage of employment equity groups, with the exception of women, had earnings at that level:

• 44.0% of employees who earned $100,000 and over were women
• 16.3% of employees who earned $100,000 and over were persons with disabilities
• 15.3% of employees who earned $100,000 and over were members of visible minorities
• 11.4% of employees who earned $100,000 and over were Aboriginal people

Representation by gender for each employment equity group

In the core public administration in the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year, 45.2% of employees were men, and 54.8% were women. As outlined in Table 4:

• the difference in the percentage of men and women among Aboriginal employees is the widest, with 61.4% of Aboriginal employees being women
• the gender balance among persons with disabilities and among members of visible minorities was more narrow than that for Aboriginal employees:
  • 52.7% of persons with disabilities were women
  • 55.5% of members of visible minorities were women

In the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year, women comprised:

• up to 78% of the overall employee population in smaller departments
• over 66% in larger departments

This gender imbalance points to the need for efforts in human resources planning and recruitment and for considering activities to attract, recruit and retain employees (see Tables A1 and A3 in Appendix A for the number and percentage of women in each department and by occupational group).

Representation and distribution of gender-diverse employees

In light of the evolving definition of gender beyond the traditional binary male and female definitions, the term “gender equality” has taken on a broader meaning. Various aspects of gender, including gender diversity, are being studied to support greater equality in the core public administration.

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat is developing a government-wide approach on how federal programs and services collect, use, and indicate sex and gender information. This approach will:

• promote respect for and inclusion of gender-diverse people living in Canada, including federal public servants
• support the collection of accurate data on sex and gender for:
  • program operations
  • analysis
  • evidence-based decision-making

Options for collecting non-binary gender information are being explored to reflect the representation of persons who identify as neither strictly male nor female. The aim is to have more accurate disaggregated data as input to policy and planning, both for government and for Canada’s general population.

In addition, the administrative implications of federal departments implementing a non-binary gender option are being analyzed.

Age distribution in the public service

As shown in Table A6, the large majority (91.5%) of the public service overall employee population is 30 years old or older, with a greater percentage of employees between the ages of 40 and 59. In the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year:

• the age profile for women, Aboriginal peoples and persons with disabilities was similar to that of the overall population, with an increased representation within the above-mentioned age range
• members of visible minorities tended to be younger than the overall employee population, with an increased representation under 30 years old and a decreasing trend from 18.6% for employees between 30 and 34 years old to 11.4% for employees between 55 to 59 years old

Representation through the employment cycle: hiring, promotion and separation

Hiring, promotion and separation rates for the four designated employment equity members into the public service, as shown in Table 5, provides useful information regarding:

• recruitment and staffing practices
• employee development
• succession planning

Indicators of rates of hiring, promotion and separation derived from human resources data, as shown in Table 5 and Table A5 in Appendix A, highlight that:

• there were positive results in:
  • hiring, promotions and separations for members of visible minorities
  • hiring and promotions for women
• although the rate of separation for women is higher than their rate of representation, there is no concern regarding a decrease in their numbers or rate of representation to sustain results achieved in previous years
• the public service must set priority objectives to:
  • improve the rate of hiring of persons with disabilities
  • improve the rate of promotion of:
    • persons with disabilities
    • Aboriginal peoples
  • improve the work experience, to reduce their separation rate, of:
    • persons with disabilities
    • Aboriginal peoples
• human resources planning should always include:
  • strategies for employment equity designated group recruitment, training, and career and talent management
  • measures to ensure that employment equity designated groups have access to opportunities and required supports

Continuing momentum: government actions and initiatives to foster a diverse and inclusive public service

Reporting on employment equity results in the federal public service must include developments and initiatives in the areas of wellness, inclusion and diversity. In the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year, departments in the core public administration continued to work toward achieving a workforce that fully represents the diversity of the Canadian population.

Appendix B shows a sample of departments’ activities in support of an inclusive workplace. Notably, four of the government’s largest departments have been recognized nationally^{Footnote 7} as being among Canada’s best employers because of their diversity practices and programs:

• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
• Employment and Social Development Canada
• Health Canada
• Public Services and Procurement Canada

Employment equity practices in Canada’s federal public service are maturing beyond basic compliance with benchmark levels of representation to a more holistic approach that fosters the development of federal organizations:

• that are more inclusive
• in which all employees have equal opportunities and are valued, respected and able to contribute at their full potential

Centre for Wellness, Inclusion and Diversity

Budget 2018 earmarked funds for OCHRO, in its role as the leader in people management in the public service, to create the Centre for Wellness, Inclusion and Diversity, with a mandate to support departments in creating workplaces that are safe, healthy, inclusive and diverse. A government-wide strategy and a multi-year action plan for wellness, inclusion and diversity will provide a framework and will guide efforts and initiatives throughout the public service.

The initiatives outlined in the action plan will achieve tangible results for Canada’s public service to:

• lead by example as an inclusive and diverse employer
• become a workforce that fully represents Canada’s evolving population

Ongoing work to achieve full representation across all occupational groups

OCHRO is undertaking a deeper analysis of occupational groups and levels to determine new approaches and strategies to meet representation benchmarks.

Incorporating evidence-based targets for hiring and promoting equity group members as part of executives’ performance evaluations may be an additional way to sustain representation rates.

A public service that is accessible by design

In summer 2018, the Government of Canada established the Office for Public Service Accessibility as part of the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. The intent is to:

• prepare the federal public service for implementation of the Accessible Canada Act
• design an overarching plan to identify, remove and prevent barriers to the full participation of persons with disabilities and all employees in the workplace
• set a gold standard for an accessible and inclusive workplace

In the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year, the Treasury Board’s Policy on the Management of Information Technology was amended, effective April 1, 2018. The amended policy will require that all newly procured and developed technology solutions and equipment meet or exceed requirements and standards for:

• persons with disabilities
• Canada’s official languages

Departments are exploring and implementing new strategies to recruit and retain persons with disabilities, including:

• targeted recruitment of students with disabilities
• collaboration with community-based organizations to increase access to employment for persons with intellectual disabilities

Pathway to reconciliation: paving the way to cultural change

Strategies to recruit Aboriginal peoples continue to be a public service priority. In the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year:

• The Indigenous Student Employment Opportunity pilot was expanded into an ongoing program across Canada:
  • the program provides Indigenous youth with valuable work experience close to where they live or go to school
  • departments hired over 180 Indigenous students for the summer of 2018, an increase from 99 in 2017
• OCHRO, with the Public Service Commission of Canada, continues to closely collaborate with Pilimmaksaivik, the Federal Centre of Excellence for Inuit Employment, to improve Inuit representation in the federal public service in Nunavut

A harassment-free workplace

In November 2017, the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour introduced Bill C-65: An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code (harassment and violence), the Parliamentary Employment and Staff Relations Act and the Budget Implementation Act, 2017, No. 1. Bill C-65 would amend several pieces of legislation and grant the Labour Program with the authority to develop consolidated regulations for harassment and violence prevention. The new legislative and regulatory regime would apply to all federally regulated employers, including the public service, parliamentarians, parliamentary staff and ministers’ offices.

The introduction of Bill C-65 coincided with an increase in the number of sexual misconduct allegations around the world and the rise of the #MeToo movement. These events underscored the importance of equipping deputy heads and managers with up-to-date policies and tools to address and prevent all forms of harassment and violence in the workplace.

In January 2018, the Clerk of the Privy Council tasked a Deputy Minister Task Team to:

• undertake a targeted review of the harassment framework in the public service
• identify actions that will better support employees

The Task Team was specifically asked to consider what actions could be taken within the public service’s existing legal and policy framework, in the context of Bill C-65, and to provide their recommendations in a report to be published in the course of 2018. The Task Team’s report, Safe Workspaces: Starting a Dialogue and Taking Action on Harassment in the Public Service, was published in August 2018, after the current reporting period.

Positive Space initiative

The Positive Space initiative, which LGBTQ2+^{Footnote 8} employees began at the grassroots level in the public service, continued to expand its networking activities and raise awareness through employee-led training.

The Canada School of Public Service also continued to offer training in understanding the challenges that the LGBTQ2+ community faces.

The Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on LGBTQ2+ issues and challenges continued to lead the way forward for the LGBTQ2+ community within the broader Government of Canada agenda for diversity and inclusion.

Employment Equity Champions and Chairs Committees and Circle

Deputy heads in the core public service administration collaborate regularly, sharing best practices through the Employment Equity Champions and Chairs Committees (EECCC) and Circle to fulfill their employer obligations under the Employment Equity Act.

The role of the EECCC is to:

• identify and eliminate employment barriers for the four employment equity groups
• ensure that representation within each occupational group reflects the representation of the employment equity groups in the Canadian workforce

Each committee:

• is chaired by a Deputy Minister Champion
• has more than 70 members
• meets three times a year on average

The members of the committees are:

• departmental champions for that employment equity group (usually a senior manager)
• the chair of the departmental committee for that group (usually at the working level)

Including both the champions and the chairs in EECCC meetings is intended to foster communication within and across organizations.

The Clerk of the Privy Council has designated three deputy minister champions of employment equity, one for each of the following groups:

• Aboriginal peoples (Champions and Chairs Circle for Indigenous Peoples)
• persons with disabilities (Persons with Disabilities Champions and Chairs Committee)
• members of visible minorities (Visible Minorities Champions and Chairs Committee)

In the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year, the EECCC worked together and with other employee groups and representatives to:

• engage employees at all levels
• provide opportunities for all employees to have an increased sense of belonging to their work teams and to the public service
• achieve greater inclusion of all employees

The work of the EECCC has revealed a number of areas for continued efforts across the core public administration for all groups to:

• eliminate barriers to career development, progression and elimination of barriers found in policies, practices, attitudes, physical facilities, and information and communications technologies
• define and promote the value of self-identification
• achieve culture change
• understand the causes of harassment and take actions to reduce harassment and discrimination in the workplace
• develop cultural competencies to support employees

Champions and Chairs Circle for Indigenous Peoples

In the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year, Gina Wilson, Deputy Minister Champion for Indigenous Federal Employees released the final report of the Interdepartmental Circles on Indigenous Representation, Many Voices One Mind: A Pathway to Reconciliation, which outlines ways to achieve a federal public service that welcomes, respects, supports and acts to fully include Indigenous peoples who are seeking a public service career and those who have such a career.

The recommendations made in Many Voices One Mind: A Pathway to Reconciliation have been endorsed by the Clerk of the Privy Council and incorporated into a multi-year action plan for wellness, inclusion and diversity for the public service.

Many Voices One Mind: A Pathway to Reconciliation also informed the recommendations of the final report of the Joint/Union Management Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion, published in January 2018.

Members of the Champions and Chairs Circle for Indigenous Peoples reiterated a call for action to support system-wide changes to improve inclusion and retention of Indigenous employees in the public service. Such changes would support the government’s priority for:

• a renewed nation-to-nation relationship
• the inclusion of Indigenous peoples in Canadian society

With Indigenous peoples being the fastest-growing segment of the Canadian population, members highlighted the importance of inclusion and that public service leaders are accountable for:

• encouraging Indigenous peoples and youth to join the public service
• supporting Indigenous peoples’ training, career development and advancement, including to the executive level, and enhancing their work experiences
• improving the cultural competency^{Footnote 9} of non-Indigenous employees and managers to better address bias, racism, discrimination and harassment

Persons with Disabilities Champions and Chairs Committee

During the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year, members of the Persons with Disabilities Champions and Chairs Committee, led by Deputy Minister Champion Yazmine Laroche, examined:

• accessibility challenges that persons with disabilities experience in the workplace
• the career progression of persons with disabilities
• the organizational culture change necessary to ensure full inclusion of persons with disabilities

The committee promotes a user-centred approach of “nothing about us without us,” which underscores the idea that no policy should be decided without the participation of the members of the group affected.

The work experience of persons with disabilities and members was solicited to identify areas for improvement and action that include:

• difficulty in employees moving from one position to another because of the need to request accommodation with each move
• possible difficulty in meeting performance standards that have been established for persons who do not have a disability, with an underlying concern that persons with disabilities are perceived as not pulling their own weight for reasons not related to their disability
• employees on selection boards and managers who are unfamiliar with accessibility and accommodation supports
• equity considerations that are not built into human resources processes

Public servants with disabilities were also consulted, and their views were considered, in the development of Canada’s first legislation developed exclusively for accessibility, the Accessible Canada Act.

Each year, in observing the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the committee chooses a federal department to champion activities to promote increased understanding of human rights, as well as the inclusion and well-being for persons with disabilities.

On November 1, 2017, Health Canada presented to committee members its findings regarding accessibility barriers that were identified by all four employment equity groups. Health Canada’s findings included the following:

• the performance of persons with disabilities is not appropriately measured, and evaluation of performance does not use the right tools
• persons with disabilities perceive harassment and discrimination at a disproportionately higher level than that of the overall employee population
• employees with disabilities who are members of visible minorities tended to be most disadvantaged

Visible Minorities Champions and Chairs Committee

Deputy Minister Champion Daniel Watson created a steering committee of the Visible Minorities Champions and Chairs Committee (VMCCC) to set priorities for the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year and beyond.

Committee members highlighted the following challenges and areas for improvement:

• mentoring and coaching to support career development and advancement, including to the executive level
• a review of the methodology used to estimate workforce availabilities for members of visible minorities
• increased employment opportunities for members of visible minorities youth in light of the projected increase in members of visible minorities in the Canadian population and labour market^{Footnote 10}
• enhanced support for language training that takes into consideration the linguistic profiles of members of visible minorities whose first language is neither English nor French
• enhanced support to members of visible minorities employees and employees who are from groups whose first language is neither English nor French
• revisiting of the term “visible minorities” and the language used in the Employment Equity Act, as there is vast diversity among members of visible minorities who have unique challenges that require unique solutions
• increased diversity of perspectives in decision-making, policy development, and designing and delivering programs

Proposal for a public service–wide committee for women

OCHRO is exploring options to restructure the governance of employment equity and employee engagement across the public service.

A new National Women’s Champions and Chairs Committee (NWCCC) is being considered that would provide a formal forum for addressing employment barriers, issues and challenges that are specific to women.

The NWCCC could:

• foster further interdepartmental collaboration to avoid duplication and increase awareness of best practices
• provide a consistent framework and structure within which to address common issues

Joint Employment Equity Committee

The Joint Employment Equity Committee (JEEC) is a national forum for collaboration on employment equity and diversity issues between the employer (the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and the Public Service Commission of Canada) and bargaining agents.

In the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat continued its consultations with bargaining agents, through the JEEC, on a number of initiatives and issues related to employment equity, diversity and inclusion, and on other policy and program areas that involve people management, such as:

• the Treasury Board’s draft policy on employment equity, inclusion and diversity
• considerations regarding how to handle data integrity problems with the Phoenix pay system that affect reporting of employment equity demographics
• the approach to implementing the recommendations of the final report of the Joint Union/Management Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion
• the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s strategy and action plan developed to implement the recommendations of the Joint Union/Management Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion

In addition, JEEC, like the VMCCC and external partners, is interested in obtaining more disaggregated data and analysis pertaining to employment equity representation across departments to better understand and address employment equity issues that persist in the public service.

The JEEC indicated that it will be consulting with bargaining agents at departments to:

• request information on departments’ employment equity programs
• assess the effectiveness of departments’ employment equity programs

Table A1: distribution of public service of Canada employees by designated group according to department or agency

Financial Administration Act, Schedules I and IV indeterminates, terms of three months or more, and seasonal employees (as at March 31, 2018)

Table A2: distribution of public service of Canada employees by designated group and region of work

Financial Administration Act, Schedules I and IV indeterminates, terms of three months or more, and seasonal employees (as at March 31, 2018)

Table A3: distribution of public service of Canada employees by designated group and occupational group

Financial Administration Act, Schedules I and IV indeterminates, terms of three months or more, and seasonal employees (as at March 31, 2018)

Table A4: distribution of public service of Canada employees by designated group and salary range (cont’d)

Financial Administration Act, Schedules I and IV indeterminates, terms of three months or more, and seasonal employees (as at March 31, 2018)

Table A5: hirings and promotions into the public service of Canada by designated group and separations from the public service of Canada by designated group

Financial Administration Act, Schedules I and IV indeterminates, terms of three months or more, and seasonal employees (April 1, 2017, to March 31, 2018)

Table A6: distribution of public service of Canada employees by designated group and age range

Financial Administration Act, Schedules I and IV indeterminates, terms of three months or more, and seasonal employees (as at March 31, 2018)

Table A7: representation of public service of Canada by designated group and fiscal year

Financial Administration Act, Schedules I and IV indeterminates, terms of three months or more, and seasonal employees

Agri-Diversity Program

The Agri-Diversity Program is a five-year initiative to encourage youth, women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities and official languages minority communities to fully participate in the Canadian agriculture sector. The program’s objective is to:

• develop the business skills and entrepreneurial capacity of diverse groups of Canadians to assume leadership roles in the industry
• strengthen the agriculture sector with diverse perspectives

Indigenous Pathfinder Service

The Indigenous Pathfinder Service connects Indigenous organizations and peoples to the department through customized support and services, including access to information, tools and other support needed to start or expand activities in agriculture and agri-food.

Socio-economic portraits of official language minority communities

In collaboration with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada and Statistics Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada identified the presence of agricultural and agri-food economic activity in official language minority communities in Western Canada, Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada. The goal was to:

• help address data gaps related to French-language minority communities
• enable the department to take a more integrated approach to its policies and programs

Statistics Canada published the results in its Ethnicity, Language and Immigration Thematic Series in July 2017.

Indigenous Support and Awareness Office

In 2017, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada created the Indigenous Support and Awareness Office to ensure sustained departmental efforts to advance reconciliation by increasing departmental awareness, retention and representation of Indigenous peoples. The Office:

• developed an Indigenous agriculture education program for employees
• offered cultural awareness training
• supported the Indigenous Student Recruitment Initiative, the departmental Elder program and the Indigenous Network Circle

The department’s full-time Elder:

• coaches and mentors Indigenous students and works closely with Indigenous students’ supervisors
• provides career and education coaching

The Elder has been critical to the success of the Indigenous Student Recruitment Initiative, which has encouraged other departments to consider instituting similar models.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada expanded the Elder’s role to include outreach activities. The Elder travelled across Canada to:

• hold 14 cultural awareness group sessions, reaching 257 employees
• hold individual and group armchair sessions for senior management

Employment and Social Development Canada

In December 2017, Employment and Social Development Canada spearheaded activities beyond a focus on employment equity to examining how to transform organizations to make them truly accessible for all. Employment and Social Development Canada:

• oversees the implementation of the Employment Equity Act across the federal government and in federally regulated organizations in the public and private sectors
• monitors compliance and submits a report to Parliament on the status of employment equity in the federally regulated private sector
• assesses the compliance of federal contractors
• develops methodologies for calculating labour market availabilities, gender wage gaps, and other labour and employment metrics
• has been developing the Accessible Canada Act and will oversee its implementation on the coming into force of the act

Inclusive single-occupancy washrooms

Health Canada’s Gender and Sexual Diversity Network and the Public Health Agency of Canada advocated for access to single-occupancy washrooms for transgender and gender-diverse employees. Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada are among the first federal departments to accommodate transgender and gender-diverse employees in this way.

This initiative supported diversity, inclusion and the rights of members of the LGBTQ2+ community.

Indigenous cultural competency

The Public Health Agency of Canada provided cultural competency training to employees through:

• the Canada School of Public Service
• webinars
• online and in-person sessions

Cultural competency refers to applying knowledge and skills to ensure respectful relationships with diverse populations through inclusivity, respect and valuing of differences.

The department’s Indigenous Employees Network indicated that although the department offers training on Indigenous cultural competency for all employees, it does not have cultural competency training specifically targeted to its Indigenous employees. However, the Manitoba and Saskatchewan Region has developed an Indigenous Cultural Competencies document specifically for that region.

The agency also developed a survey for employees to identify their training and learning needs regarding various competencies.

Gender-based analysis plus (GBA+)

Western Economic Diversification (WD):

• applied a GBA+ lens to its policies and to how it delivers its programs and services
• continued to take steps toward making informed decisions on diversity, intersectionality and inclusion
• launched a new GBA+ departmental portal

Enhancing linguistic diversity

WD highlighted linguistic diversity by:

• celebrating Canada’s official languages through Linguistic Duality Day and Les Rendez-vous de la Francophonie
• encouraging employees to use and develop their skills in other languages

Increased engagement with Indigenous communities and cultures

In support of WD’s Indigenous economic development programs, employees were encouraged to participate in various cultural awareness events with Indigenous Elders.

All-staff training to prevent racism, harassment and discrimination

Employees and managers at the Federal Economic Development Agency of Ontario (FedDev Ontario) took training to strengthen their understanding of what constitutes racism, harassment and discrimination.

Diversity and inclusiveness calendar

FedDev Ontario promoted a diversity and inclusiveness calendar to its employees to encourage awareness of Canada’s cultural diversity.

2017 Invictus Games

FedDev Ontario participated in promoting the 2017 Invictus Games (for injured service personnel), held in Toronto from September 23 to 30, 2017.

Senior leadership listening tour

Plans were established for the leadership of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to travel across Canada to engage employees on strengthening CBSA’s organizational culture.

Assessment board inventory

CBSA continued to maintain an inventory of employees who have self-identified as belonging to one or more of the four employment equity designated groups. These individuals can be called upon to be part of selection boards in CBSA’s assessment and appointment processes.

Celebrating diversity and promoting accessibility

With Employment and Social Development Canada, CBSA co-led a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the United Nations’ International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 4, 2017, at the Canadian War Museum.

CBSA celebrated Diversity Week from February 26 to March 2, 2018, with special events under the theme “Nothing about us without us” and in the spirit of strengthening the commitment of managers and employees to diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Employment equity champions

Each of CBSA’s champions for its employment equity networks committed to increasing their knowledge of:

• the issues and challenges of the group they champion
• the information needed to be effective in their role as champion

Hiring persons with developmental disabilities

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) participated in LiveWorkPlay, a program that promotes and supports hiring persons with developmental and/or intellectual disabilities. Hiring managers were guided in recruiting members from this community, and the recruits, managers and their teams were supported, including job coaching for recruits, to ensure a healthy integration into the workplace.

Support for Trans Employees: A Guide for Employees and Managers

PSPC developed Support for Trans Employees: A Guide for Employees and Managers to support transgender and transitioning employees. A working group consulted widely for input to the guide, which is the first of its kind in Canada’s federal public service.

Second language scholarship

PSPC created a second language scholarship to aid the career advancement of specific employment equity designated groups, including groups that are under-represented in the executive category. Survey results and other analysis indicated that second language training was a barrier in terms of career mobility for specific groups. The scholarship:

• is offered to five employees every year
• offers full-time language training to employees who:
  • show potential for advancement to the executive category
  • demonstrate interest and initiative in improving their second language